Thread by @Yolitatennis

So, as promised yesterday, I will tell you a story about how Novak Djokovic contributed to mathematical knowledge.

Is it corny and trite? Maybe. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But it's the absolute truth. 😀

Before I start let me tell you what a pure mathematician does: we solve "open" mathematical problems, problems which haven't been solved by anybody.

We answer questions about mathematical structures and give the answer in the form of a statement, together with a rigurous proof.

That is called a theorem. Our job is to prove new theorems... or to prove that they are unprovable.😀 (Don't get me started😇).

Anyway, when we choose an open question to answer, we don't know whether we'll be able to. Some open problems have remained open for hundreds of years.

So there I was, in May 2011, trying to solve a problem I had been trying to solve for almost a year. Every day I would sit at my desk and try everything I could to prove a theorem... and I couldn't. I was certain it was true, but all my attempts at proving it were unsuccessful.

So one Friday,with tears in my eyes, I gave up. It was a painful decision, not only because I'd spent almost a year of my life trying to prove,but because I was absolutely sure it was true. It was too beautiful to be false.😉
I wanted to be the one to prove it,but I couldn't.😰

I decided that on the following Monday I'd start thinking of something else. I had been defeated. 😰
So I found solace in tennis, like we all do, and began watching one of the best matches Djokovic and Murray have played: the 2011 Rome SF. Fantastic match. Intense. Gruelling.

At some point they could hardly move, they were exhausted.
I kept yelling at the TV, begging Novak to give up.
Rafa Nadal was already waiting and Novak had beaten him in IW and Miami. I dodn't want him to lose that edge in their rivalry.
Remember where we were in time.

It was May 2011. Novak had spent 4 years as #3, behind Fedal&he was launching his attack to wrest the #1 from them. He was on a winning streak, he was #2 and getting close.
I knew he would be dead the following day, better lose to Murray than to Rafa (you know how we fans think)

I begged him to give up and rest for RG (sounds familiar?😉),
I was distraught when he wouldn't listen and won an epic match, at midnight, after more than 3 hours of intense play.
I approached Sunday final with a mixture of trepidation and resignation.
Yet, Novak won. Novak won!

I had tears of happiness in my eyes as I looked at my boy lifting yet another trophy.
And I said to myself: thank goodness he doesn't think like I do. I would have given up, but he didn't even think of doing that.
Novak Djokovic doesn't give up. Not in 2011, not in 2019. 😃

And then I thought:"I bet Novak would never give up like I did on Friday"

Once that thought crossed my mind,it stayed there.

I didn't want to waste more rime in a problem that for all I knew could remain open for 100 years.

But I decided not to give up just yet. One last try.

You can imagine the end: by the end of the summer I had proved probably the best theorem I have ever proved. I'm very proud of it.

I was very tempted to add Novak Djokovic's name to the paper I wrote, citing him as my inspiration.

I didn't dare, shame on me! 🙈

But I when I presented my result to the American Mathematical Society, I did mention Novak and thanked him for his help. 😝

After my talk, a colleague came up to me and asked me: "I'd never heard of Djokovic. Is he a PhD student? Who does he work with?" 🤣

So there you go.

I am convinced that without Djokovic that result would probably still be open, or it would have taken longer to be proved.

In my seminar, they all know the story and we all call the result "Djokovic Theorem". 🤣🤣